South Africa produced a dominant all-round display to beat Zimbabwe in the Windhoek final and claim the tri-series title, despite injuries to Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Andile Simelane.
WINDHOEK: South Africa clinched the tri-series title with a comprehensive victory over Zimbabwe in the final in Windhoek, delivering a dominant all-round performance despite injuries to Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Andile Simelane.
After winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat first, with Connor Esterhuizen opening alongside Jordan Hermann in the absence of Pretorius, who missed the final with a niggle.
Hermann Leads South Africa’s Strong Batting Display
The opening pair made an explosive start, with Jordan Hermann leading the scoring as South Africa raced to 67 without loss by the end of the Powerplay.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers struggled to contain the Proteas, with the exception of Blessing Muzarabani, who maintained pressure with an economical spell.
Hermann brought up his maiden T20I fifty from just 24 balls before Newman Nyamhuri dismissed Esterhuizen for 32 in the eighth over, ending the opening partnership at 84.
Hermann soon followed after Ryan Burl took a spectacular catch off Brad Evans.
South Africa nevertheless maintained their momentum through Dewald Brevis and Rubin Hermann. The pair added further impetus during the middle overs, including 17 runs from the 15th over, taking South Africa’s scoring rate to 10 runs an over.
Zimbabwe struck twice in successive overs as Evans removed Brevis for 32 and Nyamhuri dismissed Rubin for 27. However, South Africa’s lower order pushed the total to a formidable 205 for five.
Muzarabani was Zimbabwe’s most economical bowler, conceding 25 runs from his four overs. Evans took two wickets for 36 runs, while Nyamhuri finished with two for 51.
Zimbabwe Collapse Under South African Pressure
Zimbabwe’s chase got off to a disastrous start when Ben Curran was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Eathan Bosch.
Bosch and Duan Jansen then tore through Zimbabwe’s top and middle order, leaving the Chevrons four wickets down by the fifth over.
Captain Sikandar Raza was also handed an early reprieve after being caught off a no-ball.
Zimbabwe required 160 runs from 84 balls at the end of the Powerplay, leaving them with a daunting task.
South Africa’s spinners then tightened their grip, with Prenelan Subrayen and Bjorn Fortuin removing Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Raza in quick succession.
Fortuin was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with three wickets for 24 runs as Zimbabwe’s required run rate continued to climb.
Evans’ Resistance Comes Too Late
Brad Evans and Kundai Matigimu briefly revived Zimbabwe’s hopes with a ninth-wicket partnership worth 52 runs from just 28 balls.
Their stand was finally broken when Kwena Maphaka dismissed Matigimu.
Evans continued his resistance and brought up his maiden T20I fifty with a six, but Zimbabwe’s innings eventually ended in the 18th over.
Duan Jansen claimed three wickets for 38 runs, while Bosch took two for 22 as South Africa completed a convincing victory.
Competitive Tri-Series Provides World Cup Build-Up
The tri-series proved to be a competitive contest, with each of the three teams winning at least one match.
Namibia stunned South Africa in the tournament opener before the Proteas responded with back-to-back victories over Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe remained in contention by beating Namibia twice, while South Africa secured their place in the final by edging Namibia by 11 runs in the final round-robin match.
The tournament, involving the three co-hosts of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, provided an important build-up to the global tournament.
The Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will also host matches during the 2027 World Cup.
The series will now be followed by a three-match bilateral contest between Namibia and South Africa, with Fortuin set to captain the Proteas once again.